Sulfur deposits or plugs are generally found in oil wells, gas wells, conduits through which gas streams containing sulfur flow, pipelines through which hydrocarbons containing sulfur are transported, and vessels in which sulfur-containing fluids are stored. The deposits or plugs reduce the flow of hydrocarbons and can severely shut off the oil or gas recovery or the transportation of a fluid.
Various processes and sulfur-dissolving compositions have been developed to alleviate the sulfur deposit or plugging problems. For example, acid has been used in combination with a compound that, upon contact with the acid, liberates carbon disulfide for dissolving sulfur. Organic solvents such as naphthalenes, hot oils, dialkyl disulfides and amine, and mixture of organic disulfides or polysulfides and polyamines have also been used to dissolve sulfur deposits or plugs. However, these processes either require a length period to dissolve sulfur or employ chemicals that are not environmentally friendly. Therefore, there is an ever-increasing need to develop a more effective process for dissolving sulfur deposits or plugs.